Influential Albums

There are two different ways I was going to take this topic, so I guess I'll do both!

1. I doubt most of us started listening to the music we do from a young age, and that we would have liked what we do at that age. What albums were "breakthrough" albums in your listening experiences? Think of albums that introduced something new that you enjoyed (screaming, guitar solos, etc.), and albums that were the first you'd heard of a specific genre, and ended up becoming a connoisseur of the genre. Give a few and explain why they were influential. Try to keep it chronological, it'll be interesting to see the evolution of your musical tastes.

2. Most, if not all, of us here are freakishly obsessed with music, to the point that it impacts our everyday lives moreso than others. Give a few albums that have had a personal impact on you as a person, not your listening habits.


My answers:

Musical breakthrough albums (somewhat chronological order):
1. AFI - "The Art Of Drowning" - The first album I owned that I had got because I wanted it, not because it was handed down to me. Also the first cd I ever burned, purely on a whim, it's still one of my favorites over 5 years later).
2. Linkin Park - "Hybrid Theory" - The first album I ever bought with my own money, right after the AFI album. Introduced me to the more current music.
3. Eminem - "The Eminem Show" I remember knowing all the words to this album in 6th grade, definitely a sentimental album, my first Rap one.
4. Taking Back Sunday - "Tell All Your Friends" - Was my favorite band for a good while, and still is a favorite. This album ruled my ears in 7th grade. Helped twist my musical tastes some more from what I already listened to.
5. Senses Fail - "Let It Enfold You" & Underoath - "They're Only Chasing Safety" - These two got me into music that used screamed vocals, so they are definitely benchmarks for me. Senses Fail was my favorite band for a good year or so.
6. Mudvayne - "L.D. 50" - Well this got me into Metal music, basically. Had probably the first growls I'd ever heard in music, though they weren't the lowest around. Still very influential, very experimental album.
7. Champion - "Promises Kept" - First Hardcore album, had since 2004, still my favorite Hardcore album. Simple as that.
8. Between The Buried And Me - "Alaska" - I got this the month it came out in September 2005, and really haven't put it down yet. Introduced me to so much more than most in this list, music in which there were very few, if any clean vocals. Has been my favorite band ever since, the longest a band has held that position, and I don't see them losing the title any time soon.
9. The Mars Volta - "Frances The Mute" - I like a lot of trippy, experimental, Progressive stuff, and this is probably where I got that from. Love it to death.
10. Faith No More - "King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime" - This ruled an entire summer of listening for me in 2006. Introduced me to Mike Patton, which led me to find some more obscure, abstract music related to him. I'm actually wearing my shirt with this album cover on it right now, strangely enough.
11. Pedro The Lion - "Whole EP" - This is why I like Indie, pure and simple. This could actually be like number 7, I've had it for a while, not exactly sure how long though.
12. Red Sparowes - "At The Soundless Dawn" - My first Post-Rock album, and we all know how that turned out. Still at the very top of my list, favorite-wise. Amazing concept, one of the best in any genre.

Can't think of any more right now.


Influential to my personal life:
1. Champion - "Promises Kept" - The album that inspired me to abstain from alcohol and drugs. Such a positive album, there's no way I can feel bad when listening to this album. It's not militant on the subject of drugs and alcohol, it doesn't say it's wrong to do, just that it's not for them. I was pretty young when I first heard it, so I hadn't even considered doing any of those things, but I feel the same now that I did then about it, it's just not for me. Easily the most influential on my life.

i could say my biggest influences (though i try not to sound like them) at this point for my guitar playing are:

captain beefheart
fushitsusha
jandek
the shaggs
sleep
swans
teenage jesus & the jerks
lydia lunch (who is the girl on my avatar thing)
glenn branca
naked city
mr bungle
samla mammas manna
kraftwerk
magma
amm
the boredoms
merzbow
7mon (amongst lots of other noisecore)

i guess you could say some of these have changed my life...or are probly influences on my guitar playing...i would probly exchange a few for others if i thought harder...but

Ah shit, I didn't think to make that another thing to talk about; listing influential musicians/albums towards your own musicianship. Keep it going, musicians!

good topic tallant, I'll have to really think about this one, since I started listening to heavy music when I was about 10. that's right, 27 yrs of music to think about....damn!!

Tallant wrote:There are two different ways I was going to take this topic, so I guess I'll do both!

1. I doubt most of us started listening to the music we do from a young age, and that we would have liked what we do at that age. What albums were "breakthrough" albums in your listening experiences? Think of albums that introduced something new that you enjoyed (screaming, guitar solos, etc.), and albums that were the first you'd heard of a specific genre, and ended up becoming a connoisseur of the genre. Give a few and explain why they were influential. Try to keep it chronological, it'll be interesting to see the evolution of your musical tastes.

2. Most, if not all, of us here are freakishly obsessed with music, to the point that it impacts our everyday lives moreso than others. Give a few albums that have had a personal impact on you as a person, not your listening habits.


My answers:

Musical breakthrough albums (somewhat chronological order):
1. AFI - "The Art Of Drowning" - The first album I owned that I had got because I wanted it, not because it was handed down to me. Also the first cd I ever burned, purely on a whim, it's still one of my favorites over 5 years later).

Just liked to say. Best afi album of all time hands down .

Albums that were influintial to me.

1. Killswitch Engage- The End of Heartahce- First cd to ever get me into harsh vocals. The day that my brother sent me this cd was a gateway to all the music that I listen too today.

2. In Flames - The Jester Race - The First Melodeath band and cd that I listened to. Which showed me that Melo Death is truly the genre for me.

3. Into Eternity- The Scattering of Ashes- Completely changed the way at how I look at the guitar when playing it.

4. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory - The first cd that I had ever bought with my own money. Still a really good cd today.

5. Billy Talent - Billy Talent - Also influenced my guitar playing. Ian Dsa is a mastermind. He uses some really weird chords, and is great at playing both rythem and lead ad the same time.

These are the most influnitial albums that I've ever herad.

Oh God...this will take awhile.

I'll post it later, after I've given it more thought.

I'll give this a shot when I have more time/ambition. Hehe.

Yea...thats what I meant. =P

blink-182 - Enema Of The State
First album i bought with my own money. First real album i was obsessed with. blink-182 became my favourite band for many many years after that. And i still enjoy to them.

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
My first 'metalised' album. It was like nothing i had ever heard before. I loved it and still do.

Poison The Well - The Opposite Of December
This was my first album which had constant screaming vocals. It opened the doors to bands like Opeth, though they are completely different. And still to this day about 5 years later its still amazing.

Opeth - Blackwater Park
This was one of my first real metal albums. It completely changed the way i looked at music. It made me realise that music can be gorgeous with growling vocals and heavy music.

Drudkh - Blood In Our Wells
This was the first time BM sounded orgasmic to me. I had heard a few BM albums before this, and they never really struck me, although i new there was something to be had out of this genre. Well this album showed me there was and now its one of my favourite genres and this is still probably my top BM album.

Desire - Locus Horrendus - The Night Cries Of A Sullen Soul...
This completely changed the way i looked at Doom. I had heard a few Doom bands, Katatonia in particular was rocking my world at the time and then this came along and WOW! This is everything Doom should be, now and forever. Still to this day i have not found an album in the Doom genre that comes close to this. Its in a league of its own.

Cult Of Luna - Somewhere Along The Highway
I guess this is here for both personal and musical reasons. Musically this album is perfect, there literally is no flaw. Personally its pretty special to me. The album deals a lot with loneliness (particularly in males) and over the past year i've been dealing with loneliness. So its nice to have an album that i can just sit down to and it makes me feel better. I can be completely relaxed and not have to worry about a thing for about 70 minutes. It also opened the doors to Post-Rock for me.

Explosions In The Sky - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
This was the first PR album that really struck a chord with me. And it was a bit of a revolution coz before this album i had never listened to an instrumental album before and never thought i would. This album made me realise that vocals dont have to be present to make music good.

Im sure there's more but those albums have pretty much shaped my taste as it is today.

I am with MM37...a long time worth. I will have to give it thought. I will say I used to buy albums strictly for the cover, too see if they were good or not, and it actually turned me on to all kinds og great stuff. Scorpions Virgin Killer/Dukes Of Stratosphear 25 O'Clock/Molly Hatchet Flirtin With Disaster could be examples of that.
I also did Columbia House Records and Tapes buying random to find new stuff too...that gave be Boston and Peter Frampton. I got a K-tel Power Pak LP free with Jeans at Woolco when I was 9, that turned me on to BTO =p.

Jimi Hendrix influenced almost all aspects of my life, while Raven/Tank/D.R.I and Slayer skewed it...and of course all you guys/gals here have renewed my metal vigor

bd

Papa Roach - Infest and Getting Away With Murder These we're the albums that got me into heavier music

Deicide - Scars Of The Crucifix The album that got me into death metal

Gorgoroth - no particular albums The amazing black metal band that got me hooked on black metal and still love with all my heart. King and Gaahl or Infernus whoever will get the name I will listen to both bands and the Gorgoroth albums that are already made.

Didn't Infernus end up with the rights to the name? Or the label is backing him instead or something.

1. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
I think my cousin got me into them, I just loved them, I think it was the first album I bought myself.(I think around the same time my cousin got me into Limp Bizkit)

2. Green Day no specific album
My cousin also got me into them, I don't think that I ever thought that they were that great, but they did help me in the way I listen to music.

3. System of a Down - Toxicity
A great album(I think I bought it the same day as I bought Dr. Dre - 2001)It was nice and aggressive to my ears, it most definitely helped me on the way to liking metal the way I do now.

4. Ensiferum - Ensiferum
At some point early in 2006, I was still fresh to metal. All that I really knew was Power and Thrash....The first song I heard was Guardians of Fate...that song was pretty much the hook in mouth for me.

5. Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side
Anytime I listen to BG I am simply drawn to this album, there is just something magic about it.

darkreif wrote:Didn't Infernus end up with the rights to the name? Or the label is backing him instead or something.

ATM it is like this:
Inferus has got the support of Regain records
Gaahl and King got the rights to the name
Infernus with Regain records are going in appeal

Headbanger wrote:Papa Roach - Infest and Getting Away With Murder These we're the albums that got me into heavier music

I so wasnt expecting that from you. I used to LOVE Papa Roach. Infest And Lovehatetragedy are awesome albums. I've been having a craving to listen to them recently so i think ill do it now I didnt really like GAWM though. The song was ok, but i feel they kinda lost their edge with that album.

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory was the first full album I was a big fan of, and got me interested in music general I think. Them, Papa Roach and System of a Down (mainly SOAD) I think were responsible for me getting into more heavy music.

In Flames - Clayman was the first real metal album I was crazy about. After that my interest for metal expanded quite quickly and decreased my interest in all the nu-metal I was used to listen to.

Dimmu Borgir - DCA was probably my first black metal-ish album.


And on my guitar playing it depends. Iron Maiden is a big influence for me, but Children of Bodom is the band that really got me to grab a guitar and try to play it. For my own writing it totally depends. Almost everything I listen to is influential. From Transilvanian Hunger to Sigur Ros.

October's Advent wrote:

Headbanger wrote:Papa Roach - Infest and Getting Away With Murder These we're the albums that got me into heavier music

I so wasnt expecting that from you. I used to LOVE Papa Roach. Infest And Lovehatetragedy are awesome albums. I've been having a craving to listen to them recently so i think ill do it now I didnt really like GAWM though. The song was ok, but i feel they kinda lost their edge with that album.

Lovehatetragedy I found to be a bit boring. Maybe that's because by the time I got that album I already started listening to Dimmu Borgir, Cradle Of Filth etc. I actually also want to listen to them again. I still have Infest, Lovehatetragedy and GAWM with the rest of my CD's. GAWM is their best album IMO. The album that came after sucked and I don't know what they are upto now.

I think Infest is their best. And im pretty sure they've released another cd since GAWM. Either in 06 or 07. Cant remember.

That the album I was talking about being shit, really it sucks.

Ahh yeah, i misread the last sentence. I havent even bothered to listen to that album. After GAWM and hearing Scars on the radio every god damn day for a couple of months i just really got sick of them.

Here Papa Roach is too heavy to be played on the radio and Scars was the weakest song on GAWM. On their latest album I listened to some songs, but they sounded emo-ish.

Limp Bizkit - Significant other
Slipknot - Iowa
Rammstein - Sehnsucht
System of a down - toxicity
Rage Against The Machine - Renegades
Papa Roach - Infest
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
Disturbed - the sickness
Those albums got me into metal.
All around 2000 I think.

After that, i got into manowar, blind guardian, and then lots of heavy metal, power metal and speed metal. then death + black metal.
another important album for me is bonded by blood from exodus. It really got me hooked on thrash metal. What is my favorite genre today.

blink-182 - Take off Your Pants and Jacket: I heard this album when I was 12 years old after hangin outside with my friend for the first time. I went to his room and he said his mom bought him a new cd and it was blink-182.......I was like wow this is amazing. I got him to burn it for me and blink-182 are still my favorite non-metal band.

Shadows Fall - War Within: I was listening to Sum 41 in 10th grade around August and my friend had his cds....I looked through them and saw a band I didn't recognize, Shadows Fall. He said dude that is death metal you probably won't like it. (we didn't know any better back then, of course they're metalcore). So I listen to it and the intro acoustic guitar to the Light That Blinds into that amazing guitar part was awesome....but then, the screaming. I immediately took the headphones off and said man I hate screaming. Why do they have to scream? I got him to burn it for me because I liked the double bass drums and solos and actually started to like the vocals after awile. This is the cd that got me into metal.

Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper: I heard this band was good after just getting into metal a few months after I was into Shadows Fall........I asked everyone what the best cd was and a lot of people said Follow the Reaper so I bought it off eBay. It was the most amazing cd I had ever heard. The keyboards, harsh vocals, super fast guitar solos all made it awesome. To this day, they are still my favorite band (tied w/ Wintersun). This cd kept me a metalhead for life.

Necrophagist - Epitaph: Wasn't really a fan of death metal at all until I heard this album. The vocals were so brutal but so awesome, followed by the neo-classical style of the guitar solos. I loved this album, bought it and listened to it 5 times in one night. I saw them live and it was the best concert of my life (so far).

Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse: I really thought black metal was gay and sounded like crap before I heard this album. I stayed away from black metal for awhile because I am a christian and didn't agree with it at all. But everyone was always saying how great Emperor was so I decided to put my views aside and try this album. I thought it sounded weird at first but it grew on me. I now love the far away sounding vocals and the distorted guitars so much and they are my favorite black metal band now. This album got me into black metal.

Ensiferum - Ensiferum: I saw this cd on eBay and loved the cover, listened to the sample songs, and bought it. At first I thought what the hell this is so weird....Viking folk metal?! Then as I kept listening, I realized how great this cd was. This was my introduction to Folk/Viking Metal and it's still one of my favorite albums of all time.

Wintersun - Wintersun: The first time I heard about this band is that Jari quit Ensiferum and made Wintersun. Of course I loved Ensiferum so I listened to the samples on iTunes and thought it was alright. I bought the album and listened to it for the first time and was totally blown away. This was the best cd I've ever heard. I never felt so much energy from one solo (winter madness) and how they can go from a super fast song to a slow song and back to a fast song with ease. This also became my favorite album (tied with Follow the Reaper)


There are more but those are the most important ones

Metallica - Master of Puppets: First time i've heard metal, from 4 grade on, Metallica Ruled me.
Bad Brains - S/T (ROIR): First Punk/Hardcore record I got, rastafari mon.
Bane - Give Blood: Just a great time in my life is associated with this album.
The Berzerker - S/T: Introduced me to grindcore and made my hatred for man more.
Burzum - Filosofem: Slowly started my decent into Post-Rock and Paganism
Cro - Mags - Age of Quarrel: We Gotta Know
Death - The Sound of Perseverance:Bought this the month Chuck died and first extreme metal cd.
GlassJaw - everything you ever wanted to know about silence:This sums up High School to a T.
H2O - FTTW: Second hardcore cd, first hardcore band live.
In Flames - The Jester Race: I just remember getting this and shitting my pants
Indecision - Most Precious Blood:They got me into animal rights agmost other things. Also help me through some times.
Most Precious Blood - Nothing in Vain: see above
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom: Tom in the band inspired my love for classical guitar.
Pelican - City of Echos:First Post vinyl.
Pig Destroyer - Explosions in Ward 6:Just below me away, so fast and heavy.
The Procedure- Rise of New Reason:You had to be there
Scholomance - The Immortality Muder:Insane with the music and imagery.
Shelter - Quest for Certainty:Help me question things and Hare Krshna
Verse - Rebuild:Sean ,the singer,best dude ever.

davedeath wrote:Metallica - Master of Puppets: First time i've heard metal, from 4 grade on, Metallica Ruled me.
Bad Brains - S/T (ROIR): First Punk/Hardcore record I got, rastafari mon.
Bane - Give Blood: Just a great time in my life is associated with this album.
The Berzerker - S/T: Introduced me to grindcore and made my hatred for man more.
Burzum - Filosofem: Slowly started my decent into Post-Rock and Paganism
Cro - Mags - Age of Quarrel: We Gotta Know
Death - The Sound of Perseverance:Bought this the month Chuck died and first extreme metal cd.
GlassJaw - everything you ever wanted to know about silence:This sums up High School to a T.
H2O - FTTW: Second hardcore cd, first hardcore band live.
In Flames - The Jester Race: I just remember getting this and shitting my pants
Indecision - Most Precious Blood:They got me into animal rights agmost other things. Also help me through some times.
Most Precious Blood - Nothing in Vain: see above
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom: Tom in the band inspired my love for classical guitar.
Pelican - City of Echos:First Post vinyl.
Pig Destroyer - Explosions in Ward 6:Just below me away, so fast and heavy.
The Procedure- Rise of New Reason:You had to be there
Scholomance - The Immortality Muder:Insane with the music and imagery.
Shelter - Quest for Certainty:Help me question things and Hare Krshna
Verse - Rebuild:Sean ,the singer,best dude ever.

Very nice list, good variety too. Didn't know you liked stuff like Scholomance and Glassjaw.